Commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,710,996 and 4,063,669 disclose belt hangers in widespread commercial use, comprising a unitary body of a synthetic material having a hook portion and a elongate body portion depending from the hook portion, the body portion comprising a first part extending longitudinally thereof depending from the hook portion and having an opening therethrough, a belt prong-receiving part contiguous with the body portion first part and a second part extending longitudinally of the body portion contiguous with the prong-receiving part and having a projection thereon configured to seat in the opening of the body portion first part.
The prong-receiving part defines a prong residence opening disposed at a fold line and a prong-entry slit communicates with the prong residence opening.
In assembling a belt with the referenced hangers, the hanger is dressed into the open frame of a belt buckle, with the prong distended outwardly of the buckle. The second hanger part is folded about the buckle and the projection thereon is snapped securely into the first hanger part opening. Then, the prong of the buckle is advanced through the prong-entry slit into the prong residence opening. A significant advantage of the referenced belt hangers is that the prong is secured in the hanger loop and is not in a position to mar adjacently-hung belts or buckles thereof.
Applicants note that the referenced hangers are ill-suited for the hanging of belts having buckles with dual prongs. Thus, if the hangers are used for the hanging of dual prong buckle belts, since they protectively retain only one prong, the other prong is exposed to be in position to mar the surface of adjacently-hung belts or buckles thereof.
In a further observation relative to dual prong buckle belts, applicants note that such belts have a wide variety of prong sizes and that the prong residence opening of the referenced hangers does not have capacity for accomodating the residence of the large end of such prong sizes.